Getty Jessie Woo
Jessie Woo has joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: Miami for its second season. Woo, 28, is a comedian and singer best known for her viral YouTube videos and her hosting duties on various BET shows.
While she is new to the Love & Hip Hop brand, Woo has wasted little time getting in on the show’s patented drama. During a teaser clip for the upcoming season, Woo can be seen tossing a drink in the face of fellow cast member Amara La Negra. Here’s what you need to know about Woo ahead of the season two premiere.
1. She Became Popular for Her Comedy Skits & Song Covers on YouTube
Woo rose to fame by posting a series of comedy skits and song covers on her YouTube channel. Her first YouTube video was 2010’s “If I ain’t GOT YOU!!!” which was a remake of the Alicia Keys song of the same name. She went on to find greater success with 2017’s “Dear Haitian Crush”, which was a remake of another Alicia Keys song, “You Don’t Know My Name.”
Woo also releases skits like “A Haitian Mother’s Prayer”, where the character playing her mother urges her to forego the interest of men in favor of Jesus. “Why you don’t make Jesus your boyfriend?” the mother asks at one point. Woo currently has 16K subscribers on YouTube and 510K followers on Instagram.
During an interview with Kreyolicious, Woo cited fellow comedian and singer Jamie Foxx as her biggest influence. “Jamie Foxx is my idol when it comes to being an all around entertainer,” she said. “The man is a sketch comic, stand-up comedian, a writer, producer, he can write a jingle for your sitcom while being the lead actor in it simultaneously. Jamie Foxx is a musician who can also be a serious Oscar-winning actor. He does so many things yet he excels at everything he does. He is everything I hope to be and more. Jessie Foxx, that’s the goal!”
2. She Reportedly Got Into a Physical Altercation With Jojo Zarur On the ‘Love & Hip Hop’ Set
Woo has wasted little time making enemies with her fellow Love & Hip Hop cast members. The Jasmine Brand reports that she got into a physical altercation with Jojo Zarur during the filming of season two. Witnesses claim that the fight got started after an unknown object was thrown at Woo, and she responded by attacking who she perceived as her attacker: Zarur. It was also rumored that Woo made physical contact when she attacked Zarur, which, according to Love & Hip Hop, would result in a fine.
The Jasmine Brand adds that Woo got her lawyers involved shortly after the incident was reported, in the hopes that she doesn’t have to pay the fine. Until the season premieres, she will not be paid for her screen time. MTONews reported a slightly different story, saying that Woo was actually the one who got taken down by Zarur.
“They were arguing over something with Amara, and all of a sudden Jessie threw something at JoJo,” said a production assistant. “Jojo blacked out and hit the girl. I don’t know if she had something in her hand, but she put Jessie to sleep. Jessie was knocked out. We had to call paramedics.”
3. She Has a Comedic Alter Ego Named Cadouskha Jean-Francois
In addition to her song covers and comedy skits, Woo releases videos under the alter ego Cadouskha Jean-Francois. The character is featured in the bulk of her Instagram videos, where she often plays opposite herself. Watch the video above for an example.
When asked what inspired the alter ego, Woo explained that it was largely the freedom to say what she wanted without fear. “Cadoushka is me, honestly,” she explained. “She is that side of me that is not afraid to say what I really want to say how I want to say it. This has gotten me into a lot of trouble over the years with work, friends and family. Naturally, as I have gotten older I have learned to sensor myself, but I am Cadoushka, she is me.”
The character also came out of an appreciation for Woo’s Haitian upbringing, which shaped her personality growing up. “I was teased a lot in grade school for being Haitian,” she admitted. “I heard a lot of things about myself that I wasn’t aware of like, ‘Haitians eat cat’ or ‘Haitians are dirty and poor.’ I would go home and ask my mom why these kids would say these things. She always taught me that miseducation was the reason for a whole lot of these comments. She taught me that being Haitian was and is a privilege and that people hate what they do not understand.”
4. She Is a Host for the BET Shows ‘Set Trippin’ and ‘BET Breaks’
Woo is also the host of the BET shows Set Trippin’ and BET Breaks. In an interview with Rolling Out, Woo spoke on her failed attempts at becoming an actress, and how persistence proved to be her saving grace.
“At my lowest, I turned to social media. Then boom, it was almost instant,” she said. “Following that, after five months of job hunching, I was in a meeting planning out a comedy show, not knowing my future BET boss was in the room. She liked what she saw and heard and she offered me a hosting spot on her show. So not only have I been able to show off my funny side, I’ve been able to work my mass communications masters.”
“There’s no success without taking risks,” she added. “There’s no success without making mistakes. My most high points came after very low points in my life. I started creating content after being fired almost nine months ago. There have been videos that were really risky filled with unpopular viewpoints of mine but they garnered the most attention.”
5. She Called Out Amara La Negra on Instagram for Trying to Ruin Her ‘Love & Hip Hop’ Debut
Many sources, including The Jasmine Brand, have speculated that Woo was added to the Love & Hip Hop cast specifically to beef with Amara La Negra. If this turns out to be true, than Woo has exceeded expectations. Not only has the comedian gotten into a physical scuffle with Amara’s best friend Jojo Zarur, she was caught throwing a drink in Amara’s face.
After the incident was caught on camera and used as part of the season two promos, Woo took to Snapchat to justify her actions and call Amara out for trying to ruin her Love & Hip Hop debut. “All Imma say is this. B**ches tried to ruin me before I even started filming,” she wrote. “I knew I was doing Love In Hip Hop since October of last year before anybody knew who you and your $9.99 wig were. So don’t ever flatter yourself thinking you matter so much. I got this on my own!… Keep it cute till reunion.”
Woo went on to criticize Amara for trying to cling to other cast members to make her storyline more interesting. “Shoulda stuck to f**king Safaree [Samuels] for your storyline,” she added. “Your a*s thought he was gonna come to LHHMIA for that p**sy and he didn’t. Shoulda never tried to step to my man for your storyline… I was on your team.” Read the full message above.
